Q-9. IS SATAN THE DEVIL A REAL BEING?

SPELLING EDITED

Some Christians, such as the Christadelphian Christians, teach that Satan is NOT a real “spiritual” being who is a fallen angel called Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12.

Isaiah 14:12.

“How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!”

Basically, Christadelphian Christians “summarize” Satan as being sin itself as opposed to Satan, the Devil, being a real literal living being called Lucifer, the son of the morning. In other words, they argue that Jesus destroying Satan equals or means the same thing as Jesus destroying SIN. So then, to THEM, Satan is not a real being who tempts and deceives mankind. But rather, they believe that the “devil” is WITHIN every person, including Christians, as being our OWN lustful desires of our OWN HEART. And they quote James as their proof test.

James 1:14.

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his OWN LUST, and enticed.”

And, therefore, they conclude that we have no one to BLAME for sinning but our OWN lustful desires in our own heart that is our NATURE.

Here is a quote from a Christadelphian website which you can go to and read their whole article on why they believe and teach that Satan, the Devil, is NOT a real living spiritual being such as an angel. The emphasis is mine. What I highlight in yellow I absolutely agree with, and what I highlight in green I find to not be sound Biblical teaching or I want to draw you attention to what they believe and teach.

Why it Matters

Does it really matter whether we understand this? Yes, it does, for two reasons at least.

First, if the Bible is really teaching us that the devil and Satan stand in general for human sin in all its activities, then that is what God wants us to know. It is a truth revealed in His Word, the Bible, and we ought to want to understand it; we ought not to be content to be misled by false ideas common in the world.

Please notice that they are assuming that what they themselves believe concerning the Devil and Satan is a revealed truth directly from God. And IF it is truly a revelation from God then we should want to believe what they interpret to be the truth. And what THEY interpret to be the truth is that the words or the titles the devil and Satan stand for or MEAN SIN and all of the activities of sin. So the purpose of this study in God’s word is to determine IF the Christadelphian teaching concerning the Devil and Satan is the truth of the whole word of God or IF what they teach is a lie FROM Satan the Devil that the Bible calls DOCTRINES of DEVILS to deceive them and the Christians who follow the teaching that Satan is not a real living being.

Think about Satan, the Devil,as being SIN itself and not a real living being for a moment and ask yourself the question, can SIN teach doctrines? For you see, the word doctrines means TEACHINGS. And to me, sin itself cannot TEACH doctrines. And thus, the warning of Paul to not be deceived by the TEACHINGS of devils is speaking of real living intelligent beings called devils.

Please read 1 Timothy 4:1-4.

“Now the Spirit speaks expressly, (In other words, this in not just Paul’s own personal opinion, but rather, the Holy Spirit is prophesying through Paul saying) that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3. Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (In other words, some Christians have been deceived by these SEDUCING evil spirits to believe one or even both of these doctrines OF devils)

4. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:”

So then, these verses of Scripture clearly teach us that devils are seducing “spirits” which means that devils are REAL living spirit beings that can speak words to seduce and deceive people. The word “devils” is translated from the Greek word “daimonion” which means a demonic BEING or a spirit being called a demon and a devil. Here is how E-Sword defines the Greek word “daimonion” which is found 60 times in the New Testament of the Bible.

G1140

δαιμόνιον

daimonion

dahee-mon'-ee-on

Neuter of a derivative of G1142; a daemonic being; by extension a deity: - devil, god.

Total KJV occurrences: 60

Also, according to 2 Corinthians 4:4, Satan, the Devil is called the god of this world and the father of LIES according to John 8:44. And thus, all doctrines or teaching of these demonic spirit beings are LIES or FALSE doctrines of devils. Again, sin itself cannot teach doctrines such as forbidding to marry and forbidding to eat certain meats which are just two examples given to us in this context in 1 Timothy 4:1-4.

Let us continue reading a quote from the end of this Christadelphian article.

Second, the reason why God has expressed this truth in His Word is that it makes a great difference to us.

Again, they are assuming that Almighty God REVEALED this teaching to them as some special revelation from God that Satan is not a real living being that tempts people to sin. But in truth, if this Christadelphian teaching that the Satan is not a REAL living creature is a revelation from Almighty God then it would AGREE with every single verse of Scripture in the entire Bible. And if you continue reading this study in God’s word you will clearly see that their INTERPRETATION of a few verses of Scripture is NOT a revelation from God. But rather, their teaching is a doctrine of devils because it contradicts what the Bible itself teaches us in simplicity.

Let us continue reading the end summary of their article on why they believe that Satan is not a real living being.

Consider a moment: if we have the idea that our weaknesses and failures in the sight of God are due to the subtle influence of some supernatural evil spirit outside of ourselves, are we not going to be tempted to make excuses for ourselves? Shall we not be inclined to say, "Well, it wasn't my fault -- the devil tempted me . . ."

Putting the blame for our sin on to somebody else is something the Bible never allows us to do. It is absolutely essential that we should understand our natural state in the sight of God. As the Apostle Paul put it so powerfully: "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). To understand the Bible teaching about the devil and Satan is a great help in accepting this truth.

First of all, the fact of knowing that Satan is a real spiritual being and the leader of the fallen angels does not make me BLAME Satan for my OWN CHOICES to give into his temptations. The Devil cannot MAKE or force anyone to sin. For a person to sin they must make their own choice to DISOBEY the commandments of Jesus under the New Covenant written in the New Testament. And for a person not to sin they must make their own choice to RESIST the TEMPTATION to sin. For you see, the temptation itself is not a sin. Otherwise, Jesus sinned because Jesus was TEMPTED in all points the SAME as we are tempted.

Please read Hebrews 4:14-16.

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15. For we have not an high priest (Jesus the Son of God) which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; (Meaning that Jesus will not be moved with pity and feeling sorrow for us if we blame our sinning on our weaknesses) but (Or because Jesus) was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16. Let us, THEREFORE, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace (Meaning to find divine INFLUENCE or encouragement and strength) to help in time of need.”

God is for us and never against us and the Holy Spirit will lead us out of temptation if we follow and obey His leading. God is the God of all comfort and He INFLUENCES us with His written word bringing Scriptures to our remembrance which gives us spiritual strength to overcome the temptations to sin.

Secondly, to NOT believe that Satan, the Devil, is a real spiritual being is to BLAME God for creating us with a NATURE to sin INSIDE of us. For you see, IF the Christadelphian teaching that Satan is not a real living being then that would mean that God created us with a sinful nature or with a nature that lusts after sin.

Thirdly, Adam blamed Eve saying that it was the woman’s fault and Eve blamed Satan saying that it was Satan’s fault which means that God ALLOWS or permits us to blame others. But just because God gives us freedom of choice or a free will to blame others does not mean that it is God’s WILL that we blame others for the choices we make.

And, in truth, the very reason God created man was because Satan BLAMED God for creating him flawed. And thus, according to Satan’s false accusation, it is God’s fault that Lucifer, who is now called Satan, rebelled and made war against God. Please read the study called “UNDERSTANDING WHY?” In that study I cover many questions such as why does God allow evil, why did God created man a little lower or inferior to the angels, and why will Satan be bound for a 1000 years and then let loose again after the 1000 year reign of Jesus has ended?

Let us go ahead and read in Genesis 3:12-19 where God ALLOWED Adam to blame Eve and for Eve to blame Satan. Please notice as you read this passage of Scripture in Genesis 3:12-19 that God punished all THREE of them. So how can Satan EQUAL or just be a euphemism or a symbolic word for SIN itself that is INSIDE of every person. Can sin itself be punished? No! But Satan as a real living enemy of God can be punished.

Also, IF the teaching that Satan is SIN itself which dwells in the HEART of every person is true, then why would God give us who believe in Jesus a NEW HEART? And IF Satan tempting us truly means that we are drawn away by our OWN lusts that come from our OWN sinful nature in our NEW HEART, then Jesus also had a sinful nature. For you see, Jesus was tempted by Satan in the same manner that we are tempted by Satan. Think about that for a moment. Why would God create in us who believe a NEW HEART that has a sinful nature inside of us? That is a direct contradiction to the very word of Almighty God. I am getting ahead of myself so I will slow down and try to take one verse of Scripture at a time. Please read Genesis 3:12-19 and notice that God SPEAKS to all THREE and PUNISHES all THREE, Adam, Eve, AND Satan. So how can Satan be just a sinful nature inside of us? Does sin have ears to HEAR God speak? Can sin SPEAK to Eve to entice her to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Can sin itself be PUNISHED?

Genesis 3:12-19.

“And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. (Notice that God did not rebuke Adam for putting the BLAME on Eve. So how could any use the argument that Satan is not a real spiritual being because that would ALLOW Satan to be BLAMED. The truth of the matter is that Satan and all of the other fallen angels are on TRIAL and they will be proven GUILTY as charged for making literal and REAL war against God)

13. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. (Notice that God did NOT say that the woman deceived herself. For you see, IF it is true that that old serpent called Satan and the Devil was not a REAL spiritual being then that would mean that God CREATED Adam and Eve with a sinful heart because this was the FIRST sin of mankind. Therefore, one cannot argue that man INHERITED a sinful nature BECAUSE OF the original or first sin of Adam and Eve. In other words, IF Satan is NOT a real living being then one MUST BLAME God for CREATING Adam and Eve with a sinful nature inside of them if so be that the doctrine of original sin is sound biblical teaching. Please read the study “THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN!”)

14. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life: (Now, IF it is true that Satan is one and the same thing as SIN then why would God speak directly to an action of disobedience called SIN and then PUNISH SIN as if Satan is INDEED a real living being? Can sin itself be ALIVE or have LIFE and then be put to death in the lake of fire on the final Day of Judgment? Can SIN have literal children that owns them while they are lost or yet unsaved? Please read 1 John 3:8-10 “He that commits sin is OF the devil; for the devil SINS from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the WORKS OF the devil.

1Jn 3:9 Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1Jn 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother.” The Bible ITSELF does NOT teach us that Satan IS SIN. But rather, the Bible clearly teaches us that Satan TEMPTS us TO SIN. And whosoever COMMITS sin is a CHILD OF the Devil because they are OBEYING the voice of the Devil. So then, in TRUTH, sin is one of the WORKS OF the Devil and NOT the Devil himself. It makes no sense to say, for SIN SINS. So to me, the Bible itself clearly teaches us that the Devil is a REAL living spirit being who SINS from the beginning)

15. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (This is why the unsaved people in the world do not like Christians and the Jews. In other words, the children of Satan do not like Christians. Also ask yourself the question, does sin have a head that can be bruised? And how could the heel of Jesus be bruised seeing that Jesus did not sin? The heel in the hind part of the foot of Jesus which symbolizes Satan bruising the church that came after the cross of Jesus. We are the BODY of Jesus Christ. Now, in the next four verses of Scripture we see that God PUNISHED ALL THREE, Adam, Eve, AND Satan, that old serpent CALLED the Devil and Satan, according to Revelation 12:9, which we will read shortly in its context. But for now, how is it even possible to punish SIN if so be that Satan is not a real spiritual being and the word Satan is just symbolic for sin itself?)

16. Unto the woman he said, (Or God SPOKE directly to the woman because she is a real living being and SAID) I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you. (The same pronouns, “you and your”, are being used for the woman just like they are used for Satan, that old serpent also called the devil)

17. And unto Adam he said, Because you have hearkened unto the VOICE of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; (Adam was tempted by the VOICE OF Eve in the same way the Eve was tempted by the VOICE OF the serpent called Satan and the Devil)

18. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field;

19. In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and unto dust shall you return.”

Now ask yourself the question, does Satan have a VOICE? In other words, can Satan SPEAK or TALK? Absolutely! Satan can speak just the same as all the angels can speak because the Bible itself teaches us that Satan is the leader of the fallen angels. But what about SIN itself? Can SIN have an intelligent CONVERSION with God to ANSWER God’s QUESTIONS? NO! Of course not. But yet Satan ANSWERED God in the book of Job when God asked Satan questions? So to me, it takes a literal living being to be able to have a CONVERSION and ANSWER questions that are asked. Also, consider the conversion that the Serpent had with Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Please read Genesis 3:1-5.

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2. And the woman said unto the serpent, (Again, does SIN itself have ears to HEAR? NO! But a real living being that has the traits of a serpent does, indeed, have ears to hear and a voice to speak to entice Eve to sin) We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (Keep in mind that Adam and Eve did not have a CONSCIENCE until AFTER they ate of the tree of KNOWLEDGE of good and evil. Remember, it was after they sinned that God said, who told you that you were naked. So then, one cannot argue that Eve is having a conversion in her own mind or with her conscience. But rather, Eve is having a conversation with a REAL living being called that a serpent which is Satan the Devil)

3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.

4. And the serpent SAID unto the woman, You shall not surely die:

5. For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Again, to me, SIN itself can not have a CONVERSION with God or with a human being. Remember that this is the FIRST sin of mankind. And thus, there were no experienced pleasures of sin to lust after to be drawn away by Eve’s OWN lust. You cannot lust after something that you have not experienced. The Bible itself teaches us that Satan is more subtle or clever than any other beast. And we know that the beasts are living creatures of God. And God places the blame on all THREE of them which again teaches us that Satan is a REAL living being.

Let us continue reading the quote from the Christadelphian website.

The Precious Truth

But then think of the benefit! If we really do understand that we all have a powerful impulse within us to ignore God's will and to follow our own desires and seek our own satisfactions, then we are well on the way to realizing how great is our need to be delivered from this pressure towards sin, so that we may receive forgiveness of sins from God and have a hope of eternal life in the Kingdom that God will establish through His Son.

The more we realize our own desperate need of deliverance from the natural state in which we live, the more we shall appreciate how precious is the Gospel which Christ preached. How can we value an offer of life if we do not know we are dying-for ever? To a man who knows he is drowning, a rescuing hand is life indeed. And this is our case: God is offering us life in place of eternal death.

Again, if so be that Satan is not a REAL living being who TEMPTED Adam and Eve and it was some so-called NATURAL STATE inside of Adam and Eve as their OWN sinful lust to sin then that consequently means that God CREATED Adam and Eve with a sinful nature. And that is a direct contradiction of the very word of Almighty God which clearly teaches us that God creates everything GOOD.

Please read Genesis 1:31.

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was VERY GOOD. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

Let us continue examining this Christadelphian article on why they believe that Satan is SIN itself and not a real living being who TEMPTS man to sin.

Have we to fear a devil, then?

Most surely we have -- but not the devil of popular belief. Our devil is inside ourselves, in our own hearts and minds. But once we understand that and accept it, we shall be able to rejoice in the great offer of life which God makes to us in His Word through the sacrifice of His Son.

And here is where I take offense at this particular teaching of Christadelphian Christians. Whether they realize it or not, they are BLAMING Almighty God for CREATING in them a Devilish HEART, and that CONTRADICTS the very word of Almighty God. When a sinner believes the gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved God creates in us a NEW HEART. God writes His WILL upon our hearts and our new INNER man DESIRES to do the Will of God.

Please read the follow prophecies in the book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 18:31.

“Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby you have transgressed; and make you a NEW HEART and a NEW SPIRIT: for why will you die, O house of Israel?”

Ezekiel 36:26.

“A NEW HEART also will I give you, and a NEW SPIRIT will I put WITHIN YOU: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

Can you not see that this particular Christadelphian teaching that we have a devil INSIDE of us directly contradicts what the Bible ITSELF teaches us? And thus, that particular Christadelphian teaching is a doctrine of DEVILS and it is NOT a revelation of Almighty God. I agree with the teaching that Jesus is the SON OF God and not Almighty God Himself but I have to disagree and argue against any and all teachings of any and all church denominations that have teachings that do NOT AGREE with what the Bible itself clearly teaches us in simplicity.

So then, in truth, our new heart of our inner man created IN Jesus desires to obey all the Will of God. To say this another way is to say that what God desires is our OWN heart’s desire because God GAVE us the desires of our NEW HEART. Please read the following verses of Scripture.

Psalm 40:8.

“I DELIGHT to do Your Will, O my God: yea, Your law is WITHIN my heart.”

Romans 7:16-25.

“If then I do that which I would NOT, (Or if I give into the temptation to sin which I do NOT desire to do) I consent unto the law that it is good.

17. Now then, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.

18. For I know that in me (that is, in my FLESH,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; (Speaking of the desire to sin being in the OUTWARD man of the FLESH) but how to perform that which is good I find not. (Paul teaches us how he learned to put off the old man of the flesh in the next chapter, Romans 8:1-17, by obeying the Holy Spirit and by NOT obeying the old man of our flesh. You can also read Ephesians 4:20-27 on your own later)

19. For the good that I WOULD I do not: but the evil which I would NOT, that I do. (So our NEW HEART desires to do good but the OLD man of our FLESH remembers the pleasures of sin and our old man of the flesh fights against our NEW INNER man of our NEW spirit and NEW heart that desires to do God’s will)

20. Now if I do that I would NOT, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. (Or the pleasures of sin REMAIN in the FLESH)

21. I find then a law, that, when I WOULD do good, evil is present with me.

22. For I DELIGHT in the law of God after the INWARD man:

23. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, (Temptation is always in the MIND as THOUGHTS) and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Which is the REMEMBRANCE of the pleasure of sin that were FELT by the FLESH)

24. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (And in Romans 8, the next chapter, Paul teaches us HOW to win the war against the old man of our flesh by obeying the Holy Spirit dwelling in our NEW HEART of our inner man) So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the FLESH the law of sin.”

The Bible itself teaches us that it is our OLD man of the FLESH that wars against our NEW inner MAN of the spirit. In other words, our outer man of the flesh REMEMBERS the pleasures of sin. So it is our OUTER flesh that desires the feeling of the pleasures of sin and NOT some so-called sinful nature INSIDE of our heart. Again, please read the study “THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN!” But for now, let us read another quote from the beginning of this Christadelphian article. Now again, to all my fellow brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ who are Christadelphians, please understand that I believe that Jesus is the SON OF Almighty God and not Almighty God Himself the same as you. And thus, all that I am trying to do is to help you see the error of your interpretation of the Scriptures on other subjects, that, to me, you are clearly in error. Your teaching that Satan is not a real living being is NOT sound Biblical teaching because it contradicts many other verses of Scripture in the Bible. Let us read from this Christadelphian article and I will explain why it is so misleading. Again, the emphasis is mine.

So we begin with Satan, the Old Testament term. What does the word "Satan" mean? It is not hard to find out. Take the case of Balaam who lived in the days when the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness. He was a prophet who had been told by God not to go on a certain hired mission to curse the Israelites. But he wanted the money offered him as a reward, so he went. Riding upon an ass, he soon found his way blocked by an angel: "The angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary" (or enemy) (Numbers 22:22, RSV).

Adversary or Enemy

The word for "adversary" is Satan (from which we get our "Satan") and that is just what it means. Notice two things: Satan here is an ordinary word meaning adversary or enemy, and not the name of a person. The word occurs again only 10 verses later: the angel said to Balaam, "Behold, I am come forth to withstand you" (verse 32), literally "to be an adversary to you".

This is the first time the word Satan appears in the Hebrew record.

NO! This is NOT the first time the Hebrew word that is TRANSLATED as Satan in OTHER verses of Scriptures appears in the Bible. You can not go in reverse and plug the title Satan in place of the MEANING of the Hebrew word and argue that the Angel of the Lord IS a SATAN. NO! That would be like arguing that John 1:1 says the word was God and John 1:14 says the word was made flesh and we know that this is speaking of Jesus, therefore, Jesus IS God. NO! That is NOT interpreting the Scriptures correctly in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. So it is an ERROR to interpret Numbers 22:22 to mean that the Angel of the Lord IS a Satan. For you see, any ADVERSARY can be either a GOOD adversary for a person's own good or the adversary can be an evil adversary to bring harm to a person. Take for an example a person standing in the WAY of another person that is trying to commit suicide. That person is an ADVERSARY but a GOOD adversary for the GOOD of another person. So the word adversary does not always mean an evil enemy. So then, in truth, the good angel is an ADVERSARY for the good. However, word “Satan” itself is a descriptive title given to only ONE being in the entire Bible, who is the ENEMY of God and all that is good. Let us continue with the Christadelphian article.

Notice that this Satan is a good angel, "the angel of the Lord", who is doing what God wants, and not an evil one! If we look up in a Bible concordance the way the word Satan is used in the Old Testament, we shall find that it means an adversary and an enemy.

And I agree that the Hebrew word that is SOMETIMES translated as Satan ALSO means adversary. But again, the good Angel of the Lord is NOT a Satan or an enemy of God. Can you not see that the Hebrew word pronounced as “satan” in English means five different things? Here is how E-Sword define the Hebrew word “satan”.

H7854

שָׂטָן

śâṭân

saw-tawn'

From H7853; an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch enemy of good: - adversary, Satan, withstand.

Total KJV occurrences: 27.

So yes, the Hebrew word “satan” means an opponent, adversary, enemy, and to withstand, but it can also be TRANSLATED as “Satan” which is a descriptive TITLE, according to Revelation 12:9 where the great dragon is CALLED Satan and the Devil. There is only ONE being in the Bible called Satan, but there are many evil spirit beings called by the title, devils. Isaiah 9:6 prophesies that when the government shall be laid on the shoulder of Jesus in the world to come that his NAME shall be CALLED the Mighty God. So the word “God” is a TITLE. The word “prince” is a TITLE. And in the same way, the word “Satan” is a TITLE of a real living being whose CHARACTER means arch enemy against good. So Satan is a REAL living ENEMY who HINDERS mankind. And he will hinder until he is taken out of the WAY, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:7. Let us go ahead and read verse 7 in its context so that you can see that Satan is a REAL living being who gives real power to those that follow him. I will highlight the pronouns referring to Jesus in yellow and the pronouns referring to Satan in green.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-10.

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (This is speaking of the rapture of the church and our being gathered together by the angels to meet Jesus in the air over the place called Armageddon)

2. That you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (This is speaking of the antichrist at the end of this present world who will be given POWER from Satan to deceive people by the miraculous works. According to 1 John 3:10, those who SIN are the sons of Satan, the Devil. So the phase “the son OF PERDITION” literally means the son of the DESTROYER. The Greek word translated as perdition is the Greek word “apoleia”. Satan is called in the Greek language Apollyon in Revelation 8:11 which means the DESTROYER. So the man of sin is the son OF Satan, the destroyer)

4. Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (To me, there is no doubt that this will be a REAL man who will be possessed by the REAL Devil, called Satan who will give the man of sin power to work miracles that will deceive many people. And I personally believe that the son of perdition will be a Muslim and the Mark of the beast is Islam. Please read the study “COULD ISLAM BE THE MARK OF THE BEAST?”)

5. Remember you not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6. And now you know what withholds (Or stands against) that he might be revealed in his time. (In other words, two things must happen first before the rapture of the church and our gathering together to meet Jesus is the air. And those two things are a great apostasy and the coming of or the REVEALING of the antichrist, the man of sin, the son of Apollyon, the DESTROYER. And that means that the rapture of the church will be a POST tribulation rapture and NOT a pre-tribulation rapture as some Christians wrongly teach)

7. For the mystery of iniquity does already work: (Or the mystery behind sin is already at work) only he who now lets will let, (Or only he who now HINDERS will continue to HINDER) until he be taken out of the way. (Or until he is taken out of the MIDST. In other words, until he, Satan, is cast down out of the heaven as the prince of the principalities of the AIR where Satan is ruling as the rebel god of this present world, according to 2 Corinthians 4:4)

8. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9. Even him, whose coming is after the WORKING of Satan with all POWER and SIGNS and lying WONDERS, (In other words, Satan will give POWER to do miracles to deceive his followers that he is God. And I believe that the antichrist will be an Assyrian man and his followers will be Muslims and the mark of the beast is Islam. Please read the study “COULD ISLAM BE THE MARK OF THE BEAST?”)

10. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

Notice that it says the WORKING OF Satan is with POWER and SIGNS and lying WONDERS. So Satan is a REAL living being who is presently the prince of this world that will be JUDGED, according to John 12:31, John 14:30, and John 16:11. Satan is also called the prince of devils in Matthew 12:24 and the prince of the power of the air in Ephesians 2:2. So Satan, the Devil is the LEADER of other devils. Let us read a couple of verses of Scripture where Satan is called “the prince of devils”, and a “king”, who is the angel of the bottomless pit, called Apollyon.

Revelation 9:11.

“And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue has his name Apollyon.”

This verse proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that Satan is a REAL living being that is one of the fallen angels. Satan and his angels are at war with God and his angels. Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for 1000 years. Satan will be let loose at the end of the 1000 years and ascend out of the bottomless pit. Satan is called the destroyer. And Satan is the “king” over the fallen angels, the devils or demonic evil spirits.

Matthew 12:24.

“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow does not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.”

And in Ephesians 2:2 we learn that Satan is a “spirit” being the same as the angels are spirits.

Ephesians 2:2.

“Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience:”

So then, Satan is a “spirit” being that works in the children of disobedience. And during this present world, Satan can travel freely from his throne in the FIRST heaven as the prince of the power of the AIR down to the surface of the earth and also descend into the bottomless pit. But during the 3 1/2 years of the great tribulation, Satan will be cast down to the GROUND or to the surface of the earth, according to Revelation 12:7-17. And then, immediately after the great tribulation, Satan will be BOUND in the bottomless pit for 1000 years, according to Revelation 20:1-3. So again, Satan is a real living spirit being called a king which is the angel of the bottomless pit who is over the other fallen angels.

And in Ephesians 6:11,12, we are taught to put on the whole armor of God so that we can withstand the WILES of the Devil and fight against the RULERS of darkness and the PRINCIPALITIES of the AIR.

Ephesians 6:11,12.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the WILES of the devil. (Or the TRICKS of the Devil)

12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, (And thus, Satan, the Devil is NOT a man having flesh and blood, a MORTAL nature. In other words, our fellow man is not our enemy that we should fight against) but (Rather, we are to fight) against PRINCIPALITIES, against POWERS, against the RULERS of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

So then, the Bible itself teaches us that there is an intelligent living spirit being who is behind the spiritual wickedness of this present world, and that “spirit” being is the prince of the power or the AIR who is called Satan and the Devil. Satan is the chief prince over his angels and their throne during this present world is in HEAVEN. Not the third heaven where God’s throne is located, but the first heaven which is the AIR or the atmosphere around the earth. And 3 1/2 years before the coming of Jesus the prince of this world will be CAST OUT of the MIDST of heaven down to the earth along with his angels, according to Revelation 12:9. And after the 3 1/2 years of the great tribulation, Jesus will bind Satan with a great chain and cast him into the bottomless pit to be bound for 1000 years during the Millennial reign of Jesus over the earth. I fully realize that Jude 1:4 teaches us that the fallen angels are already bound in chains in the bottomless pit, but that does not mean that ALL of the fallen angels are bound in chains in the bottomless pit. For you see, according to the book of Enoch, it was only around 200 of the fallen angels that kept not their first estate to take human women as their wives to bear literal children called the giants. And if ALL of the fallen angels were already bound with chains in the bottomless pit, then that would also mean that Satan is already bound in the bottomless pit. And that would contradict Revelation 20:1-3 which clearly teaches us that Satan will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit AT the coming of Jesus. Let us go ahead and read Revelation 12:9 in its context so that you can see that Satan is the LEADER of the fallen angels that are at war with God and that they are the ENEMY of God.

Revelation 12:3-17.

“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, (Another title of the fallen angel named Lucifer who became God's enemy before God ever created Adam a little lower or inferior to the angels. Now symbolically the great red dragon) having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, (And again, symbolically the stars represent the angels. So then, Satan drew 1/3 of God’s angelic beings to rebel against God to make war) and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

5. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

7. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, (Now this war between Lucifer and his fallen angels and God and His good angels has been going on since before the creation of Adam and Eve. The earth BECAME void and empty of its previous humanoid-like species of beings that was once ruled by Lucifer when he was a good angel. God then recreated the earth or restored the earth to be habitable once again before he created Adam and Eve the first HUMAN beings. In other words, the previous creation of beings that once inhabited the earth were NOT HUMAN beings that we so-called evolved from as some falsely claim. We can clearly see evidence of this war in heavenly places between the fallen angels and the good angels in Daniel 10:11-13 where God sent the answer to Daniel’s prayer the very FIRST day but the angel that God sent to deliver the message was HINDERED for 21 days. In other words, the principalities of the AIR WITHSTOOD against the good angels and the good angels had to fight to get through to deliver the answer to Daniel’s prayer. But one day soon, Satan and his fallen angels will be cast out of the MIDST of heaven down to the earth where that can no longer hinder of prayers. This is why verse 11 says that we will be given POWER during the 3 1/2 years of the great tribulation. Think about how powerful prayers are now and imagine our the ANSWERS to our prayer being IMMEDIATELY manifested no longer being hindered by Satan and his angels)

8. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. (Speaking of the first heaven which is the AIR or the atmosphere around the earth)

9. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which DECEIVES the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (It makes no sense whatsoever to interpret this verse as SIN being over his angels. In other words, IF the Christadelphian “interpretation” that Satan is SIN ITSELF, then they must be consistent in their interpretation that SIN is the LEADER of the fallen angels. But the TRUTH of the matter is that Satan and his fallen angels are the ones behind the SPIRITUAL wickedness in this present world DECEIVING the whole world. In other words, sin is one of the WORKS OF Satan, the Devil)

10. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for (Or BECAUSE) the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For (Or because) the devil is come down unto you, having great WRATH, because he KNOWS that he has but a short time. (Sin has no intellect to KNOW that its time is short. Sin cannot have WRATH. Sin cannot make WAR. Sin cannot see or have understanding that it has been cast down out of heaven. Sin cannot persecute)

13. And when the dragon SAW that he was cast unto the earth, he PERSECUTED the woman which brought forth the man child.

14. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (A time, times, and half a time is another way to say 3 1/2 years like 42 months and 1260 days are the same as saying 3 1/2 years of the great tribulation. I believe that the civilian peaceful children of Israel will be airlifted to safety in the United States, whose emblem is the eagle, where she will be feed for 3 1/2 years until Jesus comes to fight against the armies that are fighting against Israel in the end of days)

15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, (Water is symbolic language for people and flood symbolizes an army of people which I believe will be the radical Muslim people seeking to wipe Israel off of the face of the earth, according to Psalm 84:1-8) that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

17. AND the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the REMNANT of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Verse 17 might be referring to the second war at the end of the Millennial reign of Jesus after Satan is loosed and ascends out of the bottomless pit. My point is that there are two groups of people that Satan hates which are the Jews who keep the commandments of God and the Christians who have the testimony of Jesus.

We all agree that Michael is the CHIEF or the archangel who is the leader of God’s angels. In other words, Michael is an ANGELIC BEING and NOT an IT or thing. Michael is a REAL living SPIRIT being who has angels under his authority that God gave to him. So then, why is it so hard for some Christadelphian Christians to see and understand the Satan is an ANGEL who rebelled against God? Please read the following verses of Scripture and notice how it is a real living being who PUTS the evil thoughts into the minds of men. And THEN, it is the man or woman who is DRAWN away by their own LUST that comes from them entertaining or dwelling on those thoughts put into their minds BY Satan.

John 13:2.

“And supper being ended, the devil having now PUT into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;”

So then, the Devil is not WITHIN every person as a sinful NATURE. But rather, it is the Devil who PUTS evil thoughts INTO the minds and the hearts of men. And in this case the evil thought that Satan PUT INTO Judas was to BETRAY Jesus. And after Judas was DRAWN away by his own lust for money, Judas Iscariot was TEMPTED to betray Jesus for six pieces of silver..

John 13:27.

“And AFTER the sop Satan ENTERED into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That you do, do quickly.”

Again, the TRUTH of the matter is NOT that Satan is ALREADY IN every person’s heart, but rather, the Devil ENTERS INTO the hearts of only those who are DECEIVED by his WILES or tricks. In other words, it is only those who entertain the THOUGHTS that Satan PUTS into their minds to LUST after those thoughts which allow Satan to ENTER INTO their hearts. And in this instance with Judas Iscariot, I believe that Satan actually “possessed” Judas which goes beyond Satan entering into a person's heart. The Bible distinguishes between Satan ENTERING and Satan PUTTING thoughts in the mind and FILLING the heart with his lies. There is and entrance into a persons heart when their heart becomes filled with evil and it that is not dealt with then the next step is being possessed by devils.

Please read Acts 5:3.

“But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan FILLED your heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?”

Or more precisely, why have you ALLOWED Satan to FILL your heart to such a point that you would lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the money that you received from selling your house. Again, it was the LUST for money that TEMPTED Ananias and his wife Sapphira to LIE by saying that what they gave as a free will offering was ALL of the money which they receive from selling one of their possessions. The Greek word translated as why have you “conceived” this thing in verse 4 also means why have you bowed down to or given into this thing that Satan has FILLED your heart to do? To me, Satan PUT a single thought into their minds to keep back part of the money. And then, the more they dwell on Satan’s tempting thoughts the more they began to lust after the money. So they were DRAWN away by their own lust for money to LIE to the Holy Spirit. So Satan USED their love of money to DRAW them to sin against God.

So then, when we are drawn away by our OWN lust, that does NOT mean that we all have been born with a sinful NATURE. But rather, we LEARN to lust after the pleasures of sins. Now, those pleasures of sin can be learned by watching others or listening to others who are being used by Satan to tempt you. The LUST becomes your OWN lust AFTER you dwell on the pleasures of sin. And our outward man of the flesh REMEMBERS those pleasures of sin to fight against our NEW HEART that God gave to us when we first believed in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. So Satan USES what he knows that we will lust after to DRAW us away from God.

So then, for Christadelphian Christians to base their interpretation of Satan not being a real living being by using James 1:14 as their FOUNDATION is not SOUND Biblical teaching. For as you have just seen, their “INTERPRETATION” contradicts many other verses of Scripture in God’s word that clearly teach us in simplicity that Satan is a spirit being who is the prince over the fallen angels. The Apostle James also teaches us in James 2:19 that the devils BELIEVE in the one God and they tremble in fear. So how can Satan, the Devil who is the prince of devils simply be SIN itself and not a real living spirit being? How can sin BELIEVE in the one God? How can sin tremble in fear?

James 2:19.

“You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also BELIEVE, and TREMBLE.”

The Christadelphian article also argues that the sons of God in Job chapter 1 do not have to be angelic beings, but rather, they argue that the sons of God could be just men or human beings who came to present themselves to God in worship. Here is a quote from the Christadelphian article. Again, the emphasis is mine.

"There you are", some people say, "Satan was in heaven among the angels! He must be a supernatural being!" But let us remember our vital rule: we must understand Bible terms in a Bible sense. "Sons of God", for instance: it is true that once in Job (38:7) this term is used of the angels; but in the Bible as a whole it is often used of men and women who really worship God as contrasted with those who do not. God used it of Israel through the prophet Isaiah:

"Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by my name . . ." (Isaiah 43:6-7)

So in the New Testament the apostle John, referring to believers in Christ, wrote: "Beloved, we are God's children now" (1 John 3:2). So the "sons of God" among whom "Satan" came (in Job chapter 1) need not be angels in heaven; they could be people on the earth.

But how could they "present themselves before the Lord" if they were not in heaven? Again, the Bible itself gives us the answer. Moses and Joshua were once told to "present themselves" in the "tent of meeting", where God would appoint Joshua as the next leader of Israel (Deuteronomy 31:14-15). Many years later Joshua called together all the elders of the tribes of Israel to Shechem, where "they presented themselves before God" (Joshua 24:1). Later still, Samuel in his turn told Israel: "Present yourselves before the LORD . . ." (1 Samuel 10:19).

In the New Testament it is said that Mary, the mother of Jesus, shortly after the birth of her son, came to the temple in Jerusalem "to present him to the Lord . . . and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord" (Luke 2:22-24). The "sons of God" in Job, then, who came to "present themselves before the Lord", had come together to worship God in the appointed place, and, of course, in the presence of the appointed priest at that time. This is a scene of worship upon the earth, not in heaven.

But what of "Satan" who came among them? Here the English translators have not really played fair with us, for all the Hebrew says is "the adversary". The capital S in Satan is the translators' own invention, for Hebrew makes no distinction between capital letters and others. Even in the margin the Authorized and Revised Version translators have printed "the Adversary", suggesting by their capital A (for which they have no evidence) that this is that special Adversary, Satan. All that the Hebrew justifies us in saying is "the adversary came among them".

This is called circular reasoning or a “strawman” argument. It is not a sound argument at all because they are “INTERPRETING” that the sons of God are MEN who came to present themselves in worship. And thus, they concluded that the sons of God could not possibly be angels. In other words, Job 1:6-12 does not state as a FACT with no interpretation needed that the sons of God and Satan are angelic beings or human beings. And, therefore, we must INTERPRET who the sons of God are in the LIGHT of the whole word of Almighty God. So when we look up the phrase “the sons of God”, we see that it is found 11 times in the Bible and 6 of those times it is found in the New Testament referring to us who believe as the sons of God. Now the phrase “sons of God” in both Genesis 6:2,4 and Job 38:7 speak of angelic beings which leaves the two times that the phrase “sons of God” is found in Job 1:6 and Job 2:1. So then, how can we know for sure that Job 1:6 and Job 2:1 is speaking of angelic beings and NOT human beings? The answer is by reading the context.

Let us read Job 1:6-12 first.

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (Keep in mind that Christadelphian Christians INTERPRET the sons of God as being men presenting themselves to God in WORSHIP and one of these “men”, according to their interpretation, is an ENEMY of God called Satan)

7. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence come you? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (Now, obviously, Satan is a REAL living being who is having a conversion with God. But is this real living being a MAN or an ANGEL? Let us read some more context)

8. And the LORD said unto Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and eschews evil?

9. Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Does Job fear God for naught? (Or does Job fear you for no reason?)

10. Have not You made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11. But put forth Your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face. (Now, to me, this does not sound like men worshiping God)

12. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, (Or look closely and you will see) all that he HAS is in your power; only upon himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”

Job had removed himself from God’s hedge of protection by his FEAR, according to Job 3:25, Job said “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” And thus, God allowed Satan to bring a tornado storm and tragedy upon all of the children of Job only and NOT upon Job himself. Then Satan came AGAIN before God in Job chapter 2.

Let us read Job 2:1-7.

“Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. (The TRUTH of the matter is that Satan and the fallen angels are on trial and they will be judged by the faithful witness of the MAN Jesus Christ and also judged by us who remain faithful unto the end)

2. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence come you? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and eschews evil? And still he holds fast his integrity, although you move me against him, to destroy him without cause. (In other words, God is saying that Job is a faithful witness AGAINST Satan even after Satan the destroyer destroyed all his cattle and killed all of his children)

4. And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man has will he give for his life.

5. But put forth your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.

6. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in your hand; but save his life. (Or look again and you will see that Job’s fear has caused him to loose his trust in my hedge of protection)

7. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.”

Now, if so be that Satan is a MAN as the Christadelphian Christians CLAIM in this particular argument then that would mean that Satan is a REAL living being which CONTRADICTS their own argument earlier that Satan is NOT a REAL living being, but rather, Satan is simply SIN within us, according to their interpretation. Let us read that quote again from the Christadelphian article.

Why it Matters

Does it really matter whether we understand this? Yes, it does, for two reasons at least.

Now, in truth, Satan is a FALLEN angel or angelic being and NOT a man. For you see, man can NOT smote other people with boils all over their body. And Job 2:7 clearly teaches us in simplicity with no interpretation needed that it was Satan, the ENEMY of God and all that is good, who went forth and SMOTE Job will boils.

Christadelphian Christians also argue that Satan is the “devil” within each and every person simply because Jesus said “get you behind me Satan” when Peter did not want Jesus to die on the cross. Jesus was teaching us that such selfish thoughts come from Satan and that we are to rebuke such thoughts. Jesus could have been speaking directly to Satan FOR Peter as a teaching lesson. They also use John 6:70 which is translated as one of you IS a devil but the Greek word “esti” has many other meanings such as FOLLOWS, has, and wrestles. So Judas Iscariot is not actually a devil himself, but rather Judas FOLLOWED a devil. The same Greek word “esti” is translated as FOLLOWED in Matthew 27:62.

Matthew 27:62.

“Now the next day, that FOLLOWED (G2076 esti) the (Accompanying) day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,”

Now let us use the meaning “FOLLOWED” as opposed to using the meaning “IS” in John 6:70.

“Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you FOLLOWED (G2076 esti) a devil?”

And this translation agrees perfectly with John 13:2 and 27 where Satan PUTS thoughts into the mind of Judas and then after Judas entertained Satan’s TEMPTING thoughts then Satan was allowed to gain a foothold on Judas and eventually ENTER INTO Judas Iscariot.

John 13:2.

“And supper being ended, the devil having now PUT into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;”

John 13:27.

“And AFTER the sop Satan ENTERED into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That you do, do quickly.”

If language means anything at all, then the vast majority of the Bible always refers to Satan as a REAL living being who will be JUDGED and DESTROYED in the lake of fire. Jesus came to destroy the WORKS OF the Devil and SIN is one of the WORKS OF Satan, the Devil.

Please read the study “WHO IS LUCIFER?-IS LUCIFER SATAN?” And for a deeper understanding of the WAR between God and Lucifer please read all of the studies under the heading >>>WHY ARE WE HERE?- IS GOD AT WAR?<<<

Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue seeking the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.

Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Brother Mark.

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Q-9. IS SATAN THE DEVIL A REAL BEING?